Traditions
by SykoShadowRose
Summary: This isn't much of a fic, but this is my version of Vampires and Hunters for my stories and these are the things Kiryu, Kain, and Adio learned about each other in Blood Secrets. A short little detailing of the two societies and how the manage themselves.


Okay, this is information on how Vampires and Hunters work in my stories for those that want the information. You can ask any questions you like and I will do my best to answer them. I have more information on my Hunters than my Vampires though...

~*~

Vampires as a race are divided into clans. The clans are comprised of courts, which are lead by halos, usually a pureblood if one is available. The halo chooses cohorts to entrust with certain duties. It is the cohorts main duty to ensure the halo's best interests remain top priority. Outside the social structure of the court are outcasts and renegades. Outcasts are vampires who choose not to belong to a court but remain loyal to the clan. They generally obey the strongest halo present unless they are on friendlier terms with another halo. The renegade vampires who choose to defy the laws in some way are exiled from the clan or court as a result. Level Es count as renegades in vampire society. These renegade vampires are usually tracked down and killed by a hunter or a more loyal vampire.

The vampires are less strict than the hunters in their affections as vampires are sensual by nature. Even so, they are conscious of the dangers of stepping out of line, physically or verbally, when dealing with another vampire- particularly one of a higher rank. This danger which hovers nearly constantly makes them cautious when making even the smallest moves. Vampires must also be careful of who they allow to bond to them, if they have a choice. Even the one who is doing the bonding must be careful or their bondmate could be used against them by someone else.

When a vampire exposes her neck willingly to another vampire it is a silent offer to go somewhere private and share blood. The propositioned on can either accept by giving a nod or by tipping his head, returning the offer and escorting her off to another room. Declining the offer has the potential to offended the offering vampire if they are of higher rank, but it is typically done by a subtle shake of the head and turning to someone else. Ignoring the offer can have any affect, depending on the perspective of the one who has been ignored.

Vampires are separated by rank which is affected by how much human blood dilutes their vampiric blood. Purebloods (Level A) are at the top with no human blood at all in their bodies. They have many powers, not all of which are known. Aristocrats (Level B) are below them, having some human blood but not much and usually have at least one power from their vampiric blood. Common (Level C) vampires have enough human blood in them that they have no special powers beyond speed, strength, and regeneration. Former Humans (Level D) are the lowest cast of vampires, having been bitten by a pureblood. They have all the abilities of a Common vampire but at a lower degree. Level D vampires will eventually fall to Level E and be destroyed if they are not stabilized.

~*~

The hunters are made up of tribes. The tribes are all allied together with the common cause of keeping the vampires in line. Each tribe is made up of packs and loners. The packs are lead by alphas who choose a circle of advisors called a shield. The loners travel on their own and hunt as they can. Most of the time loners still affiliate with a pack and answers to that alpha but sometimes loners are the result of a pack breaking apart after the death of their alpha. Very rarely the loner is an alpha in which case he stands alone unless other loners affiliate with him. Though they keep close to the rest of the pack, hunters frequently move on their own to keep the other members safe from an ambush attack on all of them- though they maintain close contact. Alphas can be of any gender given the fact that hunters have a charm allowing them to alter their sex.

Hunters that act independently of the Association and are not linked to any pack are called exiles, since most of them have been banished for disobeying an order or acting against the best interests of the race. Those that have acted against the hunters are rarely allowed to live for long, as they can easily become a serious threat to the race.

Love is sacred to the hunters. By hunter traditions a kiss is an expression of love in it's purest form. They believe that while you can have sex without love, love without at least a kiss is incomplete. As a result a kiss is considered a silent confession of love. Since a kiss is so significant hunter children are taught to gently bump heads in place of a kiss as a sign of affection. Sometimes they are taught to rub noses as well. Some hunters believe that this behavior is carried over from their animal side.

For a hunter to silently offer his love to another, the proper practice would be for him to place a kiss upon the knuckles of the one he is confessing to. Otherwise the knuckles are touched to the forehead as a sign of respect. If the feelings are returned he would receive a kiss to his hand or lips. If not, a hug or some other sign of friendship and respect would be given to show that the love is accepted but not returned. Denying to acknowledge the sign of love is considered both cold hearted and cruel.

When showing obedience a hunter will drop to one knee. To show trust a hunter will bare his neck to the one he is trusting. This move is significant for two reasons. The first and most obvious is that vampires are their natural enemies and the neck is a favored bitting spot. The second reason ties into their more wild side. In a fight it is common for predators, such as wolves, to go for the neck to make a quick kill. By exposing their throats they are showing that they trust the other hunter not to harm them.

Trueblood hunters have, after generations of practice with charms, gained several natural abilities such as being born as a lower ranking hunter to hide from enemies. An Awakening happens later in life which reveals their true power and restores them to their trueblood status. To further hide trueblood children are taught to mask their scents as truebloods are as appealing- if not more- to vampires with the scent of their blood as a pureblood vampire is. Another natural ability for some trueblood hunters is the power to change their gender without the aid of a charm. A little known power is the ability to move death, though this is used conservatively for the safety of the trueblood.

All hunters can shift their form into that of a wolf with some cat like abilities and features, making them into nearly perfect predators for their jobs. They also have wings: Truebloods having six, Nobles having four, Common having two or one set, and those who were not born hunters having one set or none at all. The number of wings is indicative of how powerful the hunter is.

~*~

I think this is everything I have on them for now. Some minor things maybe changed from fic to fic but these are the basics that will be in all of them.


End file.
